Neoserica (s.l.) bansongchana Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu

Ahrens, Dirk, Liu, Wan-Gang, Fabrizi, Silvia, Bai, Ming & Yang, Xing-Ke, 2014, A taxonomic review of the Neoserica (sensu lato) septemlamellata group (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini), ZooKeys 402, pp. 67-102 : 81-82

Neoserica (s.l.) bansongchana Ahrens, Fabrizi & Liu sp. n. Figs 3 A–D, 7

Type material examined.

Holotype ♂ "Laos, 1.-16.v.1998 Louangphrabang pr. 20°33-4'N, 102°14'E Ban Song Cha (5km W) 1200m, Vít Kubáň leg./ Coll. P. Pacholátko Brno Merhautova 68 Czech Republic/ 176 Sericni: Asia spec." (CPPB).

Description.

Length: 9.7 mm, length of elytra: 6.9 mm, width: 5.7 mm. Body oblong, dark brown, antennal club yellowish brown, dorsal surface dull, except a few long setae on head and sides of elytra nearly glabrous.

Labroclypeus subtrapezoidal, considerably wider than long, widest at base, lateral margins moderately convex and strongly convergent anteriorly, anterior angles strongly rounded, anterior margin weakly sinuate medially, margins moderately reflexed; surface convexly elevated medially and shiny, basis without dull tomentum, punctation dense, small punctures mixed with coarse ones each bearing a long erect seta; frontoclypeal suture distinctly incised, not elevated and distinctly angled medially; smooth area anterior to eye approximately 2.5 times as wide as long; ocular canthus short (length = 1/4 of ocular diameter) and wide, with moderately large punctures and a few long setae. Frons in posterior quarter dull, otherwise moderately shiny, with coarse and fine, dense punctures, densely covered with long erect setae being partly bent posteriorly. Eyes moderately large, ratio diameter/interocular width: 0.63. Antenna with ten antennomeres, club with seven antennomeres, moderately reflexed, 1.5 times as long as remaining antennomeres combined; antennomere 4 subequal to half of length of club, antennomere 3 half as long as pedicellus. Mentum elevated and slightly flattened anteriorly.

Pronotum subrectangular, widest at base, lateral margins evenly convex and moderately convergent anteriorly, anterior angles moderately sharp and distinctly produced, posterior angles blunt, slightly rounded at tip; anterior margin moderately convexly produced medially, with a medially widely incomplete marginal line; surface densely and coarsely punctate, only with minute setae, and a few long erect setae on anterior sides; setae of lateral border fine and moderately dense, those of anterior margin numerous and widely displaced from margin; hypomeron distinctly carinate basally, carina not produced. Scutellum narrow and long, dull, with fine, dense punctures, basally at middle impunctate, with minute setae.

Elytra oblong, widest in posterior third, striae weakly impressed, finely and densely punctate, intervals weakly convex, finely and densely punctate, punctures mainly concentrated along striae, with minute setae, odd intervals in sides and apical declivity with a few erect setae (lacking on disc); epipleural edge wide, ending at widely rounded apical angle of elytra, epipleura densely setose, apical border broadly membranous, with a fine fringe of microtrichomes (visible at 100 ×).

Ventral surface dull, coarsely and densely punctate, metasternum moderately setose; metacoxa glabrous, with a few long setae laterally, posterior margin straight; abdominal sternites finely and densely punctuate, minutely setose, with a transverse row of coarse punctures each bearing a robust, long seta. Mesosternum between mesocoxae half as wide as mesofemur. Ratio of length of metepisternum/metacoxa: 1/1.56. Pygidium strongly convex and dull, coarsely and densely punctate, with a narrow smooth midline, with dense, long erect setae and minute setae.

Legs moderately slender and not very long; femora with two longitudinal rows of setae, finely and moderately densely punctate, nearly glabrous; metafemur dull, anterior margin acute, immediately behind anterior edge with a continuously serrated line, punctures and setae of anterior longitudinal row complete, posterior margin in apical half ventrally smooth and little widened and smooth, posterior margin smooth dorsally, not serrated, with dense, short setae. Metatibia moderately slender and short, widest at apex, ratio of width/length: 1/2.7; dorsal margin sharply carinate, with three groups of spines, basal group at the middle, median one at two thirds, and apical group at 4/5 of metatibial length, basally with a few robust but single setae; beside dorsal margin with a continuously serrated line being subparallel with dorsal margin 4/5 of metatibial length and ending shortly before metatibial apex; lateral face longitudinally convex, coarsely and moderately densely punctate, with a few robust setae, in apical half punctures less dense, without convex subdorsal longitudinal carina on lateral face; ventral margin finely serrated, with four robust, nearly equidistant setae; medial face smooth, apex indistinctly sinuate interiorly near tarsal articulation. Tarsomeres with dense, short setae ventrally, not carinate laterally, smooth dorsally; metatarsomeres with a strongly serrated ventral ridge and a sharp subventral carina immediately beside it, first metatarsomere as long as following two tarsomeres combined and slightly longer than dorsal tibial spur. Protibia short, distinctly tridentate; anterior claws symmetrical, basal tooth of inner claw sharply truncate at apex.

Aedeagus: Fig. 3 A–C.

Diagnosis.

Neoserica bansongchana sp. n. differs from Neoserica takakuwai sp. n. by the slightly shorter antennal club, and the shorter, more stout parameres.

Etymology.

The new species is named according to its type locality Ban Song Cha (Laos).